Surf Ninjas Parent Guide

Parent Movie Reviewby Rod Gustafson

You can tell much about the movie you are going to rent by looking at the critic’s comments on the box. Studios always search for some critic somewhere who said something good about the film. They look to the big critics like Siskel & Ebert first, and then work down from there.

In this film’s case, the quote is: “It’s 3 Ninjas meets Teenage Mutant Turtles.” The “critic” is Jo Footwax of The Daily Surfer (who?). It seems that even Jo couldn’t give this film a positive comment, and that should be enough to make you put the tape back on the shelf. But for the audience this thing is aimed at, they usually don’t read critic’s comments anyway. Instead, they look for key words in their film selection… like Ninja.

I wince as I realize we are the country responsible for producing this. Canadian Leslie Nielson needs to find a new agent, or a new job, as his role in this film outdoes the stupidity of any other I have seen him in. Nielson is the only real star in this film, and has a small amount of content in the total movie.

The rest of the movie follows the usual Ninja formula. Get yourself in one situation after the next where you have to fight for good. Violence in these films is always justified by fighting for right, yet verbal or non-violent solutions are never sought. This movie also uses video games as a major plot element, reinforcing the supposed need for violence in both of the medias.

You don’t need to know the storyline of this film. You just need to know it’s full of kicking, punching, throwing, and electrocuting, although the “blood” content is low. What little story there is has no redeeming factors, as school and parents are both mocked. With unrealistic solutions offered to serious problems, the only thing this movie proves is Canadians are able to produce trash on a world class level.

Updated April 15, 2009

About author

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.